


i will hold you in the depths of your despair

by wafflesofdoom



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Tag, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 17:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9776858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflesofdoom/pseuds/wafflesofdoom
Summary: in the aftermath of their meeting with the solicitor, robert tries to comfort aaron.tag to the 15th of february episode.





	

Robert nudged open their bedroom door with his hip, balancing a cup of tea and a sandwich in his hands precariously. Aaron had gone up to their room after tea, saying he needed to have a shower.

Robert knew his fiancé better than that. The meeting with the solicitor today hadn’t been the most positive experience, Aaron on the verge of tears as he was told that he would definitely be serving time for what he did to Kasim - it was just a question of _how much_ time.

He’d nearly cracked himself, as they’d heard it, but he hadn’t - for Aaron’s sake, he hadn’t.

Robert’s heart sank as he noticed Aaron curled up on his side, still fully dressed in his suit. “Aaron?” he called out softly, kicking the door shut behind him, deterring Chas, or anyone else from interrupting them.

Aaron didn’t move, burrowing his face further into his pillow.

Holding back a sigh, Robert crossed the room in a few short steps, setting the cup of tea and sandwich down on Aaron’s bedside locker, sitting down on the edge of their bed.

Aaron looked at him tiredly, his eyes red-rimmed, tears staining his cheeks. “I said I wasn’t hungry,” he said gruffly, his voice thick with unshed tears.

“You need to eat, Aaron.” Robert said, running a hand through Aaron’s hair, the gel sticky between his fingers as he worked Aaron’s curls free. He rubbed a gentle hand across Aaron’s cheek, down his neck, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to his forehead.

“Is Liv alright?”

Robert inclined his head slightly. “It doesn’t sound like she had the best of times with her mum, it’s put her in a mood.”

“It’s not exactly helping that she’s come back to this, is it?” Aaron seemed to curl in on himself more, clearly frustrated. “She knows that when I get sent down, she’ll be sent to Ireland to live with her mum.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“You don’t have a choice, Robert. I’m her guardian, you’ve got no rights over her.” Aaron’s eyes were welling with tears again, and he reached up to roughly scrub at his face. “I’ve made a right mess of everything.”

“No you haven’t.”

“Yes, I have.” Aaron’s eyes narrowed. “I put a bloke in hospital because I was pissed off with _you_. I don’t know why I ever expected to get off on this one, with my record I was obviously going to do time.”

Robert didn’t know what to say.

“How am I supposed to survive a year inside, Robert?”

“You’re not going to get a year.” Robert said firmly. “And if you do, we’ll appeal it.”

“Just face it, Robert, I’ve made a mess of our entire lives.” Aaron tried to turn away from him, Robert moving so he had a hand on Aaron’s hip, holding him where he was.

“You don’t know how the sentencing is going to go, so don’t you dare give up on me yet.” Robert said, a warning tone to his voice. “Whatever happens at court, we’re going to deal with it. Alright?”

Aaron couldn’t hold back his tears now, sobbing freely. “I don’t want to go to prison, Rob.”

“I know.” Robert laid down next to Aaron, gathering him into his arms as Aaron let out the tears he’d been holding in since their meeting with the solicitor in Hotten. He could feel the shoulder of his shirt soaking through with Aaron’s tears, his fiancé completely hysterical.

They stayed like that for a while, until Aaron had managed to cry himself out. Robert ran a gentle hand up, and down Aaron’s back, mouthing soft kisses into his hair, against his forehead.

He didn’t want to give him the usual platitudes of “it’ll be okay” because Robert wasn’t entirely sure it would be okay. The solicitors meeting was bleak, to say the very least, and it’s not like he felt particularly hopeful - he was just pretending to be.

“Will you eat something for me, please?” Robert murmured, glancing over toward the sandwich.

“I feel sick.”

“You’ll feel worse if you don’t eat.”

Aaron nodded, slowly sitting up, an arm still on Robert’s stomach. “Tea’s gone cold,” he commented, reaching for one half of the sandwich.

Robert shifted himself into a sitting position, his back against the headboard. “I’ll make you a new cup in a bit,” he reassured.

“You goin’ to make sure I actually eat?” Aaron asked, chewing a mouthful of the sandwich slowly. He didn’t look lime he was enjoying it, but Robert didn’t mind that so much, as long as Aaron actually ate something.

He’d barely eaten half a bag of crisps before the solicitors meeting, and refused to even look twice at dinner.

Robert nodded. “If I have to.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, you know.” Aaron admitted, not quite looking at Robert.

Robert gave his elbow a squeeze. “Good thing you’ll never have to figure it out then, eh?”

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed this mostly pointless coda to tonights episode! i just need more robert comforting aaron.


End file.
